Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 149

“Morning sex, the best way to start a day.”

“With you on top of me, peppering me with kisses all the way  to the- ouch!” Louis cried when Marcus hit him with a pillow.

“Stop!” He laughed weakly.

After a couple of sloppy kisses later, they were dressed and ready to go.

“So basically Clarisse is third-wheeling?” Marcus asked as he put on his coat.

Louis nodded, noticing the frown on Marcus’ face.

“Turn that frown upside down,” Louis said.

“Come on, Clarisse is lonely.”

Marcus raised his brow, “Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”

“So why does she have to hog my boyfriend?” Marcus tilted his head to the side curiously.

Louis sighed, “Because… Blaine’s…”

“Blaine’s what?” Marcus asked.

“Why not a double date?” Marcus offered if Louis needed to spend time with Clarisse that badly.

“You, Clarisse, Blaine, and…”

He kissed Louis on the cheek, before finishing his sentence, “…me.”

Louis pondered on it.

“Hm, that’s not really a bad idea,” he admitted.

“Right?” Marcus asked.

Louis narrowed his eyes, “You just don’t want her to third-wheel us, huh.”

Marcus shrugged, feigning ignorance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Louis scoffed before he fixed his tie.

“I’m still meeting Clarisse to talk though,” he said before he left the room.

Marcus whirled around.

He threw his hands in the air in frustration.

“Damn it,” he laughed.

Meanwhile… with Louis and Clarisse…

“A pattern’s forming,” Clarisse said, deep in thought.

“A pattern?” Louis questioned.

“Whenever I mention Oliver, he gets all upset,” she explained.

He sighed, “Claire.”

“Don’t you think Blaine’s bound to get a tad bit upset when he hears you talking about Oliver?” Louis reasoned.

“You’ve been getting quite close to him lately,” Louis noticed, staring at his dear friend.

Clarisse noticed the looks he was giving her.

“Are you kidding me?” She asked.

“Me and Oliver are nothing more than friends,” she declared.

“Nothing else,” she clarified, so there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.

“Sophia’s busy nowadays, and Oliver’s… great company,” she admitted.

“He could be in love with you,” Louis mumbled inaudibly.

Clarisse burst out laughing, “HIM?”

“LOVE… WHO… ME?”

She continued laughing – so much she seemed like some maniac.

“HOW COULD YOU ASK ME SUCH A THING?” She said through giggles and laughs.

“That’s crazy,” she slapped her hand on her face.

“He couldn’t possibly be in love with me, that’s so far-fetched, and you know it,” Clarisse said.

“We’re just friends, him and I. I promise you, there’s nothing more to it.”

“And honestly I don’t know whyever Blaine would fret so much about it,” Clarisse dropped her hands to her sides.

“Besides, Oliver knows I’m happily taken,” Clarisse shrugged.

Louis watched as Clarisse continued on and on why she and Oliver were nothing more than friends.

He thought she’d stop, but she didn’t. She just kept going.

“This is where I draw a line,” Louis interrupted.

Clarisse stopped talking at once.

She straightened herself, “Right.”

“I just…”

Clarisse looked around, as though hoping someone else would be there other than him.

“Sophia’s in Sanguis,” Louis reminded.

Clarisse nodded, “I know that, I’m just looking for Marcus.”

“Where is he anyway?”

Louis shrugged, “Somewhere around here.”

His eyes darted towards a figure in the distance.

“Speaking of Marcus, I should go get back to him.”

Clarisse chuckled, “Go ahead, I wouldn’t want to be the one stopping you from spending time with your boyfriend.”

Louis thanked her before he left, leaving her unaware of why he’d left in such a rush – of the reason other than Marcus.

Clarisse was surprised to hear a voice she wasn’t expecting to hear call out her name.

“Clarisse!” Oliver exclaimed, smiling.

Clarisse’s eyes lit up – like the fourth of July.

“Oliver!” She said excitedly, a grin forming on her face – she was just about to look for him, it was incredibly ironic.

“What are you doing, you got some free time on your hands or?”

To her relief, Oliver nodded, “Yep, I’m free.”

“You?” He questioned in return.

Clarisse nodded as well.

Oliver found himself relieved.

“So, where to?” He asked, practically reading Clarisse’s mind.

Had Sophia not occupied the spot for best friend – Oliver would’ve been the closest thing she had to a best friend at the current moment.

Louis was a dear friend, Sophia was the duchess she came to for advice and issues, but she had to make peace with the fact Sophia was busier these days – and the free time she had, she rather spend it with her boyfriend instead of her best friend.

So, there was Oliver – someone who Clarisse hadn’t expected to enjoy spending time with.

Oliver seemed boring from the outside – douchey even.

However, when she and him got to spend more time together what with everyone else being occupied the majority of the time… they realized they both had a lot in common.

They had an identical taste in movies. In terms of food, they liked and disliked the same things.

“Food,” Clarisse suggested.

She added, “Then…”

“Movies,” Oliver finished her sentence.

They exchanged a grin before they headed for the dining hall to grab a meal – even though Clarisse had just eaten. When it came to her, she was always hungry.

“What are you eating?” Oliver asked her, looking over at all the options.

Clarisse decided, “I feel like eating sushi.”

Oliver already had his eyes on the platter of sushi in the middle of all the food laid out in front of them.

“Alright then, sushi it is,” he agreed with her wholeheartedly.

Oliver pulled out Clarisse’s chair for her before pulling himself a seat and taking a seat right beside her.

“Who would’ve thought,” Clarisse mumbled as she searched for tongs to take the sushi with.

“I hated you at first, and now we’re willingly having sushi together.”

Oliver laughed softly, “You’re right.”

“I’m just grateful I got to meet you,” he said, the words escaping his lips before he realized what he said to her.

“You’re an amazing friend,” he added.

Clarisse had found the tongs and scooped up a few pieces of sushi.

“And you are too,” she placed some food on his plate.

Oliver stared at his place and jokingly whined, “Seriously?”

Clarisse shrugged, “Whaaaaat? I gave you more than I did myself, it’s not my fault you have a huge appetite.”

Looking wounded by her words, Oliver played the part.

“Me? A huge appetite?” He scoffed before crossing his arms and pouted.

“I do not.”

Clarisse chuckled, before she felt a cold, slimy substance on her face.

She wiped it off, realizing what had just been thrown at her, and what this meant.

It was a declaration of war.

She came to her senses, knowing what he was provoking.

A food war.

He asked for it, so he’d get it.

Of course, this was a huge waste of food, but he started it.

She flung a spoonful of sushi at him.

He dodged it before grabbing a piece of cake and throwing it at her.

“I’m not getting any food on me,” Clarisse said as she carefully dodged Oliver’s attacks.

She pelted him with fries, and all kinds of Beldovian delicacies, while he continued flinging small pieces of ice and other foods at her.

It was a never-ending war, with both sides completely unwilling to declare defeat and surrender to the other side. Chairs were used as barricades. Trays as shields, while cutlery remained untouched besides the food that had covered it.

The countess and the duke were lost in the fray; one attack going off after the other.

That day, there were many casualties in the Beldovian palace dining hall, all thanks to the shenanigans of two royals – Clarisse and Oliver.

The maids were astonished to find the dining hall trashed – especially by two royals that had no place doing something this unroyal here. This wasn’t huge enough to be deemed scandalous or anything. It was simply… something irresponsible two royals wouldn’t want to be caught doing. They were fortunate no one had noticed their little food fight before they were caught once their ammunition had finished.

Clarisse exited the dining hall with a smirk on her face, among other things. She and Oliver had come to a consensus.

It was a tie.

The food fight was fun. Hell, it was the most fun Clarisse had had in a long, long while. And that was saying something.

She felt free again. Like no one was expecting anything of her at that moment, and that she could do anything she wanted with only Oliver to watch and unleash her inner child.

Freeing. That was one way to describe it.

She felt freed.

As she and he made their way to each of their quarters, they made plans to continue their day – albeit the fact one would think they’d be exhausted enough after their doings.

(Author’s Note: Just putting it out there, I do not condone food fights of any sort. It wastes food, and this scene is just that. Fantasy.)